The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1887-02-03
MRS. CLEvELAND.s GIFTS.
Christmas Gifts by the Hundreds for the
Most Admired Woman In America

MRS. CLEVELAND'S GIFTS.
Christmas Gifts by the Hundreds for the
Most Admired Woman In America
During the past week. preceding
Christmas, more gifts were received at
the white house than at any time since
the old mansion was built, writes cor
respondent of the Boston Globe. At
least, so say the old servitors who have
been at the white house most of their
lives. Nearly all of them are directed
to Mrs. Grover Cleveland, and from the
character of the presents it is evident
that she is admired by many different
kinds of people.
The daughter of one of the cabinet
officers, who had just come from an i'll
speclion of the presents. gave the writer
description of them with all the en-
thusiasm of a very young girl who is
just entering on her first Washington
season.
Il never saw such a lot of Christmas
presents before" she said. They al
most fill up Mrs. Cleveland's room. and
l don't think she has examined half of
them vet Many of them are from her
old school friends and Buffalo acquaint-
ances; some from friends here in Wash
ington-but by far the largest number
come from people of whom she says she
never heard-from societies, Sunday
schools, and even from little children
in the far west and south. You would
be surprised at the big pile of dressing
cases she has received. They are of all
kinds, from the cheap variety-store ones
up to the plush. silver, and ivory kind.
When Mrs. Cleveland received the first
one she was pleased and placed it on
her bureau Ten minutes later another
was brought in. This also she laid on
the bureau. But when during the rest
of the day more than dozen others
came, she began to think that her
friends judged her 10 be in sad need of
hair-combing. and laughingly remarked
to me: 1 have enough combs and
brushes now to last the rest of my nat
ural life There was one particularly
lovely dressing-case. II was from three
of her old classmates, and is made of
the richest blue plush l have ever seen;
has gold clasps and ivory contents. l
am sure nothing like it has ever been
seen in Washington. just the opposite
OF this was a gaudily-colored pasteboard
dressing case; which cost about 80
cents. Mrs. Cleveland was especially
pleased with it, however. because it
came from u little girl IN Council
Bluffs, Iowa, and was accompanied by
one of the sweetest little girl notes you
ever read. Moreover, the little girl was
SO deliciously frank as to say that she
expected Christmas gift in return.
| She will get it. too. for Mrs. Cleveland
has sent her a lovely set of child's china
ware.
After the dressing-cases, books come
next i'll point of number. Mrs. Cleve-
land had already quite Il large library,
but she will have the shelves enlarged
now. The most costly and beautiful
book she has received comes from her
sister-in-law, Miss Rose Elizabeth Cleye-
land. 1t is an illustrated copy of Cole
ridges Ancient Mariner. [ couldn't
undertake to describe it to you only
know it was the most beautifully bound
and illustrated book ever saw. There
were some pretty verses on the blank
leaf, too-original ones by Miss Cleve-
land Mrs. Cleveland seems to prize
that book above any present she has re-
ceiGed. One book she has received has
caused considerable amusement at the
white house 1t is an ordinary paste
board-bound Chatterbox. A little girl
from New Orleans sent it. explaining
that her friends wouldn't allow any
large purchase. aud that she liked Mrs.
! Cleveland's picture so much that she
must send her some Christmas gift.
Mrs. Cleveland also received some
pretty sets of books from New York and
Boston publishing houses, with the COM
pllments of the publishers, but she
thought they meant it us an advertise
| ne It of themselves, SO she does not
calc much for the books.
There were some unpleasant Christ
| mas gifts, too. Some women'S temper
ance association took advantage of the
occasion 10 send her copies of dry tenn
| oerance sermons, with pious requests
that she should read them and put their
principles into practice at the white
house. In fact. they wrote to her as if
she were an apostle of liquor and they
the missionaries who were trying to
convert her. She was much ANNOYED,
and packed off some of the books to the
senders again.
Mrs. Cleveland has also received
many gifts in the way of jewelry. Sew
| eral cabinet ladies gave her valuable
| gifts. the prettiest, think, was dia-
mond brooch from Mrs. Manning. 1t
is decidedly the prettiest in Washington
to-day. When Mrs. Cleveland goes to
tile opera she is sure to have the finest
opera-glasses in the house. TOO, for the
pair she received from lady admirer
in New York city are said to be the
finest that ever came from Paris. They
are of gold and ivory.
LAS to gloves and articles of that kind
she has received enough to last Il good
while. just what the president gave
her | don't know, but | have heard that
it was Il necklace of some kind. If the
! general admiration of Mrs. Cleveland is
TO be measured by the number of Christ
mas gifts she has received, then she is
certainly the most admired woman in
| America.